Verstappen shows true class while judging Antonelli's costly mistake for his title chances
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Co-author:Tobia Elia
Marnik Kok caught the Formula 1 world around twenty years ago. A deep passion for motorsport, Ferrari, and a background in journalism led him to contribute to various (international) F1 platforms. Since 2020, Marnik has been active as an editor and journalist in the pinnacle of motorsport for several media outlets, including De Telegraaf. As of 2025, he brings that experience to GPblog as a seasoned editor.
During his active years as a journalist — now working as a freelancer — Marnik attended numerous events, with the Dutch Grand Prix standing out as one of the highlights. In addition to his work at GPblog, Marnik is also active in the communications sector at a major national provider and steps in wherever needed. Sitting still is not an option — especially not in motorsport!
Max Verstappen remained impressively composed after the crash with Kimi Antonelli, despite the latter being clearly at fault.
It was all over for Verstappen in the opening moments of the race, as Antonelli made contact with the Dutchman's car, forcing both drivers to retire. But there was no sign of anger — the reigning world champion kept his cool throughout.
"We had a good start, so that was already an improvement over the last races'', he told media including GP Blog after the race. ''Then it was over in the third turn, but at that moment, I didn't know what happened''.
Verstappen soon realised he had to quit the race. "We had quite some damage to the car, so iI was out. It was an accident, but there was also bad luck during the qualifying. If you look at the entire weekend, this is not where we want to be."
Kimi Antonelli
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Verstappen defends Antonelli
Asked about the incident and Antonelli’s clear responsibility, Verstappen simply shrugged it off: "I just asked what happened, as he had the only car with wheels hanging off. When I saw the footage, I was sure, but these things happen."
"These things happen to all drivers, everyone makes such a mistake at some point. Kimi is a great talent, and for me, the case is closed. Nobody does something like this on purpose."
Concluding, the Dutchman said that these kinds of incidents are just part of the sport — even though it had been over 400 days since his last retirement: ''Ultimately, this is racing. We have had fantastic moments here (at the Red Bull Ring, ed.), so we'll just have to swallow this."
"We may have been a bit spoiled here lately, but sometimes that's the case."
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